The present invention relates to a condensing device and to a method for condensing moisture in a vehicle battery, in particular in a vehicle battery in a motor vehicle, such as an automobile.
It is a known fact that batteries or accumulators in vehicles, especially motor vehicles, such as automobiles, are generally exposed to environmental influences, e.g. moisture, which penetrates into the interior of the battery and can cause corrosion or short circuits there, possibly leading not only to destruction of the battery but also, in some circumstances, to damage to electric loads fed by the battery (e.g. a vehicle control unit, which is relatively sensitive to voltage spikes that can arise in the event of a short circuit within the battery).
Even if the battery is protected from being sprayed directly with water, this generally being due to the arrangement of the battery in the vehicle, relatively high air humidity can cause these unwanted phenomena since complete sealing of the interior of the battery from the surrounding atmosphere is complex and expensive and, furthermore, a certain positive ventilation, at least of the area directly around the outside of the battery, to the atmosphere is in fact required, namely in the event that a safety valve of the battery opens due to excess pressure in the battery interior, allowing the excess pressure to be released to atmosphere.
The prior art, e.g. DE 10 2007 011 026 A1, includes a battery in which a cooling trap is provided for condensing and discharging moisture from the battery housing. However, this cooling trap is disclosed as a separate, additional, multi-part assembly, as a result of which additional assembly steps are required during the production of the battery, lengthening the production process and hence also making it more expensive.